


exhibit

by steamedmantou



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-17
Updated: 2013-06-17
Packaged: 2017-12-15 06:12:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/846227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steamedmantou/pseuds/steamedmantou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>aomine and kuroko, as friends, boyfriends, together, apart, and sometimes as different people. drabbles and ficbits.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. accidental

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> watch out for your ice cream, boys.

            "Ah," Aomine says, as the scoop of ice cream topples off his cone.

            "Ah," Kuroko says as well, watching it hit the ground with a splat.

            They both stare at the ice cream as it softens into a gooey puddle on the sidewalk.

            "...Dammit!"  Aomine says finally.  "The one time we splurge a little on ice cream _this_ happens!"  He heaves a mournful sigh.  "My chocolate mint ice cream..."

            "Here," Kuroko says, holding out his cone.  "You can have some of mine."

            "Eeh... vanilla's boring, though."

            "There's nothing wrong with the basics.  You can taste the ice cream properly that way.  In comparison, the abundance of so many different flavours in chocolate mint makes the ice cream taste unnecessarily complicated and busy."

            "Geez, all right, I get it.  Give it here," Aomine says, grabbing Kuroko's wrist.  He takes a huge bite out of the scoop, leaving behind a gaping crescent.

            "...Haven't you heard of licking?" Kuroko asks, slowly.

            "Sorry.  Accident."

            "You cannot call this an accident."

            "What, do you want it back?"

            "Of course not," Kuroko starts to say, but is cut off by Aomine pressing his mouth to his own, open and sticky-sweet.

            "Happy now?" Aomine asks, pulling away, licking his lips.

            Kuroko flushes despite the coldness on his tongue.  "...You're paying for my ice cream next time." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first completed/posted on tumblr: march 21, 2013


	2. fade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> one day, aomine loses his shadow.

            One day, Aomine Daiki wakes up without a shadow.  He does not notice till he stands that there is nothing holding him down on the ground.  Gravity no longer has any pull on him.  It's pretty cool at first – who didn't want to be able to fly? – but it got old fast.  Floating around all day was boring.  Besides, he couldn't play basketball if he couldn't stay on the ground.

            When Aomine goes outside, quite out of his control, he begins drifting towards the sky.

            His detached shadow catches him by the ankle before the wind carries him off and says, Sorry, am I not enough to keep you on the ground?

            Nah.  It's not your fault.

            Do you think you'll come back down anytime soon?

            Dunno.

            Can I do anything?

            Nah.

            His shadow ties a string to him like he's a balloon, and the other end to a fence, to keep him from flying off.

            I'll bring you back one day, his shadow tells him.

            Aomine shrugs.  As he hovers over the fence, buoyed by the breeze, he wonders what it'd be like if he cut the string and let himself float up through the stratosphere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first completed/posted on tumblr: march 25, 2013  
> first revised: june 17, 2013


	3. dive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> take care of what kind of people you attract with those bruises of yours, aomine.

             In high school, it had been a long standing, unspoken agreement within Aomine’s circle of friends never to hide bruises or cuts from anyone, especially if they were reaped from a tussle, or a fight, or a brawl.  They were to wear them like badges of honour, to display their scars like war wounds.  Now, out of high school, Aomine hadn't been able to shake the habit: neither the habit of picking fights nor the habit of leaving collars open and loose to draw attention to gashes across collarbones, to dark smudges along jawlines.

            Still, as accustomed as Aomine was to flaunting his latest injuries, he was regretting, this particular evening, that he hadn’t at least slapped a bandage over the cut at the corner of his mouth or taken care to hide the bruises painted black and blue across his cheekbones.  He wasn’t planning to invite trouble, and Aomine knew himself.  He’d be driven to pick a fight if someone so much as looked at him the wrong way.

             It was mild consolation that, in some dive of a bar, it wasn’t uncommon to see someone as roughed up as he was (though maybe not as early in the night as this).  Sure, he hadn’t planned on picking someone up – not that he’d be averse to the idea if the opportunity came up.  But this was not the best way to make an impression, looking like he’d lost a fight a dozen times over.  That didn’t stop Aomine from keeping an eye on the room, with his back to the bar, searching more out of habit than desire.

            Aomine did not notice someone walk up beside him till a voice came from his right.  He nearly jumped in surprise. 

            "That's quite the set of bruises you have there," said the stranger, calm and matter-of-fact.  He had wide, inexpressive eyes.

            Aomine shrugged, though his attention was piqued.  In his experience hardly anyone said a thing about the bruises to his face.  No one ever had the guts to broach the topic.

            Slowly, with an air of deliberation, the stranger asked, "Would you like to add a few more?"

            Eyebrows up, with a smirk crawling across his face, he turned to face his new acquaintance.  “Aomine,” he said, in lieu of a response.  He offered a hand.

            “Kuroko,” the stranger said, returning the handshake.  As their hands slid apart, Kuroko slipped a card in place of his hand.  A stolen glance at it told him the name of the hotel, and its address.

            Aomine looked down, hiding a smile.  He slapped a bill on the bar and followed Kuroko out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first completed/posted on tumblr: march 28, 2013  
> first revised: june 17, 2013


	4. pedestrian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> when there's only one video game controller, you gotta fight for it.

            "You know you're not supposed to run the pedestrians over, right?"  Kuroko says.

            "Not my fault they just _stand_ there," Aomine mutters, mashing buttons on the controller.

            "You're losing points, you know."

            "Stop backseat driving."

            "I'm not.  Technically you're backseat driving.  You are behind me, after all."

            "Can't help it," Aomine says, snuggling closer against Kuroko's back.  "It's cold."

            "I wouldn't be saying anything if we could at least play on two player mode."

            "I told you, I lost the other controller."

            "Then let me play.  I'm getting tired of watching and being your heater."

            "No."

            "Please?"

            "No."

            Kuroko makes a grab for the controller.

            Aomine lifts his hands above Kuroko's head and continues steering.

            "Don't be such a child.  Haven't you been taught to share?"

            "No."

            Kuroko sighs.  "Okay.  You get one more chance.  May I please have a turn?"

            "No."

            Kuroko reaches behind himself, dragging his hands up Aomine's sides, bringing his shirt up.  He brushes his fingers against the point just below Aomine's ribcage.

            Aomine springs away from his touch as if electrocuted, a startled laugh bubbling up in his throat.  "Dammit, Tetsu!"

            "Give me the controller," Kuroko says, fingers snapping back to Aomine's sides.

            "No!"  Aomine says, laughing and squirming away, scooting to the side on the couch.

            Kuroko gives chase and Aomine ends up rolling off the couch to avoid him, which turns out to be an ill-advised move, because before he has a chance to get up Kuroko _jumps_ on him, straddling his hips, pinning him down and tickling him within an inch of his life.

            "It would be best for you to do as I say," Kuroko says, deadpan, keeping a straight face even as Aomine makes faces and squawks gracelessly under him.  "I know all of your weak points."

            " _Shit,_ Tetsu, stop it!"  Aomine yells, between gasps for air and laughter. 

            "Give me the controller."

            " _Fine_!  Fine, okay, take it!"

            Kuroko takes the controller and climbs off Aomine.  "Thank you."

            Aomine sits up, catching his breath.  He looks at the TV screen.  "Thanks man, I just lost the race."

            "Don't worry," Kuroko says.  "I'll avenge your loss."

            Aomine starts getting up, before pausing uncomfortably.  "...And now I'm hard."  He looks up at Kuroko.  "You gonna take responsibility for that?"

            "No."  Kuroko says, firmly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first completed/posted on tumblr: april 5, 2013  
> first revised: june 17, 2013


	5. thirst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> aomine makes a habit of buying drinks after practice.

            "I didn't even work up a sweat during that practice match and I'm _still_ thirsty," Aomine said, making a face at his empty water bottle.

            "I could use a drink myself," Kuroko replied.

            "Ugh, and there isn't a convenience store in sight—wait, I see a vending machine."  Aomine raced over, jamming his hands into his pockets and rattling change.  "Hey, what do you want?" he asked, as he fed coins into the machine.

            "No, it's all right.  I can buy my own drink."

            "Naw, c'mon, what's 200 yen between friends?"

            Kuroko looked unconvinced.

            "How about you buy my drink, then?"

            "All right. A Pocari, please."              

            "You like that stuff?"  Aomine asked, searching for its button.

            "Yes," Kuroko said.  "It tastes quite good for a sports drink.  Besides, I haven't nearly as much stamina as you, and it really does help me recharge after training."

            Aomine grinned and tossed Kuroko the bottle.  "Now I know what to get you after a game!"

 

            Now, in high school, the infrequency of Aomine's practice attendance remains unchanged from his spotty record in middle school.  When he does show up, mostly to shut everyone up – for a while, at least – he runs his laps carelessly, makes his shots haphazardly without missing a single one, and during practice games, tears past every player facing him down like they aren't there.  He never feels as though he exerted himself.

            Out of habit Aomine still buys a drink when he's done practice.  One day, the convenience store feels too out of the way, so he opts to stop by the vending machine he sees on his usual route home.  Daydreaming about the latest photo book he bought, Aomine does not realize till the drink clatters against the bottom of the dispenser that he bought a Pocari, by reflex.

            He picks the drink up and stares at it, hand clenching around the bottle.

            "...Dammit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first completed/posted on tumblr: april 7, 2013  
> first revised: june 17, 2013


End file.
